Reilly Center Advisory Board

The Reilly Center Advisory Board is a collective of thought leaders in media, public
affairs, business, and academia who support and counsel the Center in its mission
to make positive change in the world.

Jessica Breaux

Economic Development Manager, Amazon

Jessica Breaux is an Economic Development Manager for Amazon. In this role, Jessica
supports Amazon business investments throughout the southern United States. She partners
with local policymakers and economic development professionals to create good jobs
with industry leading pay and great benefits for people with all levels of education
and work experience. With more than 17 years of economic development experience, Jessica
has worked in the local, state and utility sectors supporting the creation and retention
of job opportunities. Before joining Amazon, Jessica led a 14-person regional economic
development team for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the largest public power
company in the country. She also spent several years focused on economic development
efforts specific to the Nashville, Tennessee, region while at TVA.

Jessica earned a Master of Public Administration with an emphasis in community and
economic development from the University of Arkansas, and is a graduate of Northwestern
State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Public Relations. She is
a Louisiana native and currently lives in Nashville with her husband Chris. Jessica
loves traveling, live music events and is a fiercely loyal fan of the New Orleans
Saints.

Terri Broussard Williams

Head of Social Justice Policy & Partnerships, Public Policy, Amazon

Terri Broussard Williams has built her career on a solid reputation as an authentic,
courageous, and impactful change agent. Throughout her journey as an award-winning
non-profit executive, lobbyist, and public speaker, Terri has transformed public and
community service into a professional art form, positively impacting the lives of
millions of people.

Over the course of her 17-year career as a government relations executive for a large
international non-profit, Terri realized her dream of creating significant, community-shifting
outcomes. Her most distinguished accomplishments include the passage of key pieces
of legislation, such as The Louisiana Smoke-Free Air Act. Terri continues to “pay
it forward” with thought leadership around change as the founder of the Movement Maker
platform.

Terri graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Master of Non Profit Leadership.
Previously, Terri graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s Social Impact Strategy
Executive Education Program, and received a Graduate Certificate in Diversity and
Inclusion from Cornell University. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State
University’s Manship School of Mass Communication. 

Johanna L. Dunaway

Associate professor in the Department of Political Science at Texas A&M University

Johanna L. Dunaway received her Ph.D. from Rice University in 2006. Before joining
the faculty of Texas A&M in Fall 2016, Johanna was a Joan Shorenstein Fellow in the
Shorenstein Center for Media, Politics, and Public Policy, at Harvard’s Kennedy School
of Government. From 2008-2015, she was a jointly appointed faculty member in LSU’s
Manship School of Mass Communication and Department of Political Science. Her areas
of research and teaching include news media and politics and political communication,
with an emphasis on how the changing media environment is shaping news consumption
and political knowledge, attitudes, and behavior. Her publications appear in journals
such as the American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, the Journal
of Communication, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, Political Communication,
Information, Communication & Society, Public Opinion Quarterly, and PloS One. Johanna’s
recent book, Home Style Opinion: How Local Newspapers Can Slow Polarization, is co-authored
with Joshua Darr of LSU’s Manship School and Matthew Hitt of Colorado State University,
will be published this March, 2021. She is also currently working on two book manuscripts
still in-progress: News Attention in a Mobile Era, co-authored with LSU Manship faculty
member Kathleen Searles, and The House that Fox Built? Representation, Political Accountability,
and the Rise of Cable News, with Kevin Arceneaux, Martin Johnson, & Ryan J. Vander
Wielen.

Edmund J. Giering IV

General Counsel, Baton Rouge Area Foundation 

Edmund J. Giering IV is the general counsel to the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, a
community foundation which serves the needs and interests of South Louisiana by helping
donors connect with nonprofit organizations to create a lasting legacy and fulfill
their philanthropic goals and by leading and investing in civic leadership initiatives
that build a more equitable community and address larger social outcomes. 

Licensed to practice law in Louisiana and Texas, his practice emphasizes corporate
law and governance, corporate, real estate and complex gift transactions, risk management
and nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations. He is actively involved in the community
and serves on the boards of numerous professional, civic and charitable organizations.

A native of Natchitoches, Louisiana, Edmund received a Bachelor of Arts degree in
history from Louisiana State University in 1990, a Juris Doctor degree from the LSU
Paul M. Hebert Law Center in 1994, and a Master of Business Administration degree
from the LSU E.J. Ourso College of Business in 2005. He is married to Catherine Saba
Giering and they are the proud parents of two children, Jake and Cate.

Stewart Jeffries

Government Affairs and Public Policy Senior Counsel, Google 

E. Stewart Jeffries is a Government Affairs and Public Policy Senior Counsel at Google
where he has worked for over a decade. He currently oversees all of the company’s
U.S. Senate Republican outreach across Leadership, Committee, and personal offices
on a breadth of issues including tax, trade, privacy, cybersecurity, competition,
intellectual property, and intermediary liability. Prior to that, he held a similar
role overseeing the company’s lobbying to U.S. House Republicans. Stewart began his
tenure at Google in the then-new role of Competition Policy Counsel at the company
where he oversaw political outreach across the government to secure a successful conclusion
of the Federal Trade Commission’s investigation into the company’s business practices.
Prior to joining Google, Stewart served on the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, where
was the Chief Antitrust Counsel for the House Republicans and handled a variety of
other matters including bankruptcy and interstate taxation matters.

He earned his Bachelor of Arts at the University of Virginia, where he double-majored
in Government and History. He earned his Juris Doctor at the University of Virginia
School of Law. A native of Louisiana, Stewart resides in Washington, DC with his wife,
daughter, and two mini-Schnauzers. In his spare time, he enjoys fishing, sailing,
and woodworking.  

Sara Judson

President & CEO, Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana

Sara McLeod Judson is the CEO of the Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana,
a role she has held for eight years. Her professional experience includes marketing,
public relations and organizational development for CHRISTUS St. Patrick Hospital,
former Mayor Willie Mount, Lake Area Medical Center and former U.S. Senator J. Bennett
Johnston. She also served clients through her entrepreneurial business, Training Pathways,
where one of her consulting roles was as a trainer with Franklin Covey for the Leader
in Me program.  

As a fourth generation citizen of Lake Charles, she enjoys continuing the family tradition
of being an active member of the community. Her current volunteer experience includes
the Junior League of Lake Charles, Inc., where she was named the 2013 Sustainer of
the Year, board member for CABL (Council for a Better Louisiana) and a 2nd grade reading
tutor at Oak Park Elementary School. She and her husband, Mark, and 21 year old daughter,
Rachel, enjoy participating in their church, First Presbyterian, as well as many community
projects. Their latest adventure is that Rachel is a junior at McGill University in
Montreal, Canada, where she is regularly identifying things that she wants to make
happen in Southwest Louisiana!  

Jared Llorens

Dean, E.J. Ourso College of Business

In 2020, Professor Jared Llorens assumed the role of dean of the E.J. Ourso College
of Business. Previously, Llorens was the chair of the Department of Public Administration,
and he currently holds the E. J. Ourso Professor and Dean Endowed Chair. As department
chair, Llorens was responsible for leading LSU’s Master of Public Administration program,
which has successfully prepared local, regional, and national leaders for over 40
years. In 2020 he was elected as a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.
His scholarly research focuses primarily on public management, with particular interests
in automation, compensation and recruitment. His research has been widely published
in various academic outlets, and he is a co-author of the widely adopted textbook
Public Personnel Management: Context and Strategies 6th & 7th ed.

Before beginning his academic career, Llorens worked in human resource management
with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and U.S. Department of Labor in both
Dallas, TX and Washington, D.C. Llorens is a native of Baton Rouge, La. and received
his BA from Loyola University of New Orleans, his MPAff from the University of Texas
at Austin’s LBJ School of Public Affairs, and his PhD in Public Administration from
the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs. 

Pasha Moore

Founder and Principal, Holland Taucher Consulting

Pasha Moore is the founder of Holland Taucher Consulting Group (HTCG), a full-service
firm covering all aspects of development and strategy, with a focus on corporate partnerships
and major donor cultivation; public affairs, lobbying and advocacy in various roles,
representing clients in both state legislatures and Congress; business development
strategies; and coalition building. The 2020 election cycle was devoted to clients
focused on educating campaigns and volunteers in election cybersecurity, engaging
key stakeholders and coalitions in each of the 50 states; where, under the Prevail
masthead, her work contributed to winning both a Reed Award for Best Civic Education
Resource and a Peer Choice Golden Eagle Award for Overall Grassroots Advocacy/Education
Campaign Excellence. 

With almost 20 years of political experience, Pasha has previously worked in various
roles with over 125 campaigns, political organizations, tech organizations, and not-for-profits.
Under the HTCG masthead, Pasha has directed the fundraising and development of numerous
national, state and local campaigns and Republican political organizations in Texas
and beyond, including state judicial campaigns, legislative races and congressional
races; national campaigns and PACs; and state-based political GOTV organizations. 

Saul Reinaldo Newsome

Newsome International Law

Saul is the principal at Newsome International Law a firm entirely devoted to cross-border
commerce and related national security regulation and controls. Saul is the Secretary
of the International Law Section of the Louisiana Bar Association. Saul was also appointed
by the U.S. Department of Commerce to serve as a member of the Louisiana District
Export Council and sits on its outreach committee. He has achieved a Martindale-Hubbell
AV Preeminent peer review rating and was selected by Super Lawyer as a Rising Star
in International Law for 2022. 

Saul has advised businesses on trade and investment incentives both locally and abroad.
Saul has advised clients on importing, exporting, sanction regimes, and assisted clients
in pursuing offshore manufacturing, license agreements, sales agreements and other
business ventures. Saul has advised  on foreign investment and national security regulations
in the United States, including applications to the Committee on Foreign Investments
to the United States (CFIUS), export and anti-boycott regulations (EAR), international
traffic in  arms regulations (ITAR), anti-bribery (FCPA), asset control regulations
(OFAC) and defense federal acquisition regulations (DFARs). Saul earned his Juris
Doctor (JD) of Civil Law from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University
in Baton Rouge, LA and his Masters of Law (LLM) in National Security Law from Georgetown
University in Washington D.C.

Dr. Markey Pierré

Vice Chancellor of External Affairs & Chief of Staff, LSU Health Sciences – Shreveport

Dr. Markey Pierré’s lifetime commitment to professional excellence, community service
and good public policy has led to substantive progress for the State of Louisiana
in many areas, including K-12 and higher education, construction, health care, maritime
law and municipal government. During her 20+ year career as a successful business
owner and executive, author, motivational speaker, lobbyist and adjunct professor,
Dr. Pierré’s philosophy of inclusive leadership resulted in pioneering legislation
that has had far-reaching positive consequences for generations to come.

For the past 13 years, Dr. Pierré championed the interest of her clients as the president
and managing partner of Southern Strategy Group of North Louisiana, a full-service
governmental consulting firm based in Shreveport, Louisiana. Dr. Pierré has been extremely
successful in building partnerships across different ideologies, bridging deep divides
to drive public policies that benefited everyone involved. In her new role as the
Vice Chancellor of External Affairs & Chief of Staff for LSU Health Sciences Center,
Dr. Pierré is the point of contact for critical initiatives and responsible for the
development and implementation of the strategic agenda to represent both organizational
and operational initiatives. 

Mendi Robinson

Vice President of Creative, Lamar Advertising

Mendi Robinson began her career at Lamar Advertising in 1997, where she is currently
the vice president of Creative at the corporate office. She is responsible for training
Lamar’s sales force and designers to sell and create effective out-of-home advertising.
 Her responsibilities also include managing the marketing team of designers who are
responsible for Lamar’s brand and all corporate and sales collateral.

A graduate of the Louisiana Art Institute, she is active in the Baton Rouge community
as a member of the local Advertising Federation. She served as the chair for the board
of directors for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Louisiana and now sits on their
advisory group to the board of governors. She was elected to the Baton Rouge Business
Report Forty Under 40 class in 2015. Nationally, she serves on the creative committee
for the Out of Home Association of America and serves on the advisory board of Colossal
Media.

Mendi resides in Baton Rouge with her husband, Donnie, and their two children.

John Snow

Partner, Emergent Method 

John Snow is an experienced management consultant with expertise rooted in organizational
design, strategy and operational planning. He is focused on improving the performance
of organizations and communities throughout the U.S. and across various sectors such
as government, economic development, technology, infrastructure and health care. Over
the past 14 years, John has worked on numerous projects, plans and strategic initiatives
for local, state and regional public, private and nonprofit organizations.

He is a 2012 graduate of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber’s Leadership Baton Rouge program
and a 2014 graduate of the Council for A Better Louisiana’s Leadership Louisiana Class.
He also serves on several local and regional boards of directors such as the Louisiana
Highway Safety Commission and LSU Manship School of Mass Communication’s Alumni Executive
Board. In 2020, Consulting Magazine named John a “Rising Star of the Consulting Profession
in Strategy Consulting,” a prestigious honor given annually to high-performing consultants
throughout the world. He earned two degrees from Louisiana State University, including
his Bachelor of Arts in Advertising from the Manship School of Mass Communication
and his Master of Business Administration from the E.J. Ourso School of Business –
Flores MBA Program.

Laura Vinsant

Executive Director, Teach For America South Louisiana

Laura Vinsant is a graduate of Louisiana State University and alumna of the LSU Manship
School of Mass Communication. She was drawn to Teach For America’s mission after tutoring
as an undergraduate. Laura began her career with Teach For America as a 2007 South
Louisiana corps member, teaching second and third grade in Baton Rouge. She now leads
the South Louisiana region of Teach For America and is committed to ensuring every
student in South Louisiana has access to the excellent educational opportunities they
deserve. 

Laura is a graduate of the 2018 Council For A Better Louisiana Leadership Louisiana
Class, is a graduate of the 2015 Baton Rouge Area Leadership Program, and was a 2015
Top 40 Under 40 honoree. Laura proudly serves as the Chair of the Leadership Baton
Rouge Alumni Board. She was recently awarded the Rising Star in Non-Profit Leadership
Award by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation. Laura is currently enrolled in Harvard’s
Graduate School of Education pursuing a degree in Education Policy and Management.

Allie Young

Founder, Protect the Sacred

Allie Young is a citizen of the Diné (Navajo) Nation from the Northern Agency of the
reservation in Northern New Mexico. She is a storyteller and writer on a mission to
increase the authentic representation of Native people in TV, film, and mainstream
media by sharing the stories and traditions of her ancestors to help her community
persevere in a world where they are largely invisible, underrepresented, and misrepresented.
She founded Protect the Sacred—a program of culture change organization Harness—a
program that focuses on educating and empowering the next generation of Navajo and
Indian Country leaders and allies. Through Protect the Sacred, Allie makes certain
Native voices are centered in culture and policy, especially the voices of Indigenous
youth and womxn. It is her objective to ensure that the stories of her people are
no longer history – the fabricated American narrative perpetuated in textbooks and
Hollywood Westerns. Instead, they will be authentic and from the original peoples,
the original storytellers of this land.